Charleston, SC

Despite war, a widespread fire, and a major earthquake, Charleston is a beautiful and prosperous city. I arrived Wednesday afternoon after two separate stops for pecans. (A clerk in one store was funny and gave me a "redneck shotglass" - a plastic beer cup that holds at least 8 ounces!)

I've booked a room for three nights at The Planter's Inn, which I read about on a travel website for women. It's a luxurious hotel in the middle of the historic district. It's quiet, conservative, lavishly appointed, and fully staffed to immediately meet any request. I wanted to stay in an extra special place at the start of the trip so I would have less to worry about, and fortunately I got a great package at this hotel. Like many of the nearby buildings, the hotel is on the historic register. It's also across the street from the open market. A few people told me the market was a site of slave auctions, but a tour guide on a carriage ride said it was where produce and dry goods were sold, probably by the slaves. (http://www.girlsguidetotheworld.com)

True to my goal, I've gathered a few stories. First, I spoke with a couple who make the sweet grass baskets that are sold in the market and along the streets. I asked the couple how they each learned the craft. She learned from him. He learned from his mother. He told me that in a true "weaving" family, the children have to learn. They don't have to make a living at the craft, but they have to learn. He's been weaving for 37 years, since he was seven. The patterns for the baskets aren't written down, to prevent another family from stealing them! I didn't buy a basket from him, but bought one today from someone else after a bit of haggling.
(http://www.sweetgrass-baskets.com/history.htm)

For dinner the first night, I followed the recommendation of several people and ate at Hank's. The she-crab soup was delicious, but the crabcakes not crabby enough! After dinner, I ducked into a nearby candy shop to get out of the rain. There, I met a family from Vancouver. He's working in Charleston, but wanted to bring the "girls" along to visit. ("Girls" here means his wife and daughter. I didn't say a word!) As Canadians, they happily went to the beach that day, even though the locals found it "chilly"! The second couple I met at the bar next to the candy shop. They were drinking, waiting for the rain to let up; I ordered a coffee. They glanced at me curiously, I guess trying to figure out my story. Eventually we started talking. They're from Indiana. Turns out they were staying at the same hotel as the Vancouver family. The conversation was about winter in the midwest and the difference between raising boys and girls. (They have three boys.) The husband/father was perceptive and amusing in his comparisons.

Today I toured the Magnolia Plantation and the Nathaniel Russell House. Architecture, furnishings, paintings, gardens beyond imagination. Here's a tidbit- Nathaniel Russell and his wife were both older when they married. She was wealthy in her own right. So, they had a pre-nup in 1803! When they moved into their house in Charleston, they brought their two teenage daughters and 18 slaves.

The crape/crepe myrtle are blooming, streets are clean, restaurants and shops modern and inviting, everyone polite. Have a good day, ma'am.